Beverage carton carrier



April 2, 1963 J. E. FRY 3,083,886

BEVERAGE CARTON CARRIER Filed April 26. 1960 James E Fry INVENTOR.

BY 94mm United States Patent 3,083,886 BEVERAGE CARTGN CARRIER James E. Fry, Columbus, Ohio (3065 Smathers Road, Rte. 1, Westerville, Ohio) Filed Apr. 26, 1969, Ser. No. 24,721 2 Ciaims. (QR. 224-45) The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in a device which may be effectively used in handling, lifting and carrying two bottle-containing cartons with vertical walls of the two cartons in side-by-side relation.

It is common practice to group beverage containing bottles, for example, soft drink bottles, in individual cells or pockets provided therefor in cardboard and equivalent handle-equipped cartons. Cartons in this category which are comomnly used are provided with six pockets three of which are located to the left and the other three to the right of a divider or partition, the upper portion of the partition extending above the open top portions of the pockets and having a horizontally elongated slot therein defining a hand hole and a hand-grip. When returning empty bottles and replacing the same with full bottles from the neighborhood store it is often common practice to catch hold of the hand-grip of one bottle-containing compartment and perhaps when using one hand to open or close a door or to get in and out of an automobile, to place the other cart-on between the upper portion of the arm and the body. This bottle handling procedure can often result in accidentally dropping and breaking bottles and, generally speaking, is, no doubt, regarded as a nuisance to most persons. There has long existed a need for an implement or device to assist the grouping and handling of two bottle-filled cartons simultaneously.

An object of the instant invention is to provide a simple, practical and an economical device the construction of which makes it possible to place vertical flat walls of two cartons in side-by-side contact, engage the novel carrier simultaneously with the slotted handles or hand-grips and pick up both cartons as a unit using one hand to do so and freeing the other hand to open and unlock a door or to get in and out of an automobile without having to stuff one carton under the arm of the already-used hand.

Briefly summarized, the over-all concept has to do with a pair of side-by-side box-like containers or cartons having side walls residing in firm contact when handled and carried by hand, each container having a relatively fixed upstanding carrying handle, said handles being positioned opposite each other in spaced apart parallelism and in a generally common plane, and a container lifting, handling and carrying device for simultaneously handling said container comprising a hand-grip bridging the space between said carrying handles at right angles thereto and positioned in a plane elevated above the uppermost portions of the handles, said device having suspension members depending therefrom and releasably connected to said container handles.

More specifically, the device is characterized by twocomponent par-ts; namely, a wire unit having depending hook-equipped suspension members joined at upper end portions by a connecting shank, and a tubular or an equivalent hand-grip mounted on and surrounding the shank.

In carrying out a preferred embodiment of the invention the first-named unit is fashioned from a length of wire of suitable gauge which is bent upon itself between its ends to readily and economically define the suspension members and the connecting shank therebetween.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a dual-type carton carrier constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention and with a portion broken away to show the terminal ends of the wire from which the primary unit of the carrier is constructed.

FIG. 2 is an end view on a small scale showing the carrier in use.

FIG. 3 is a section on the vertical line 3-3 of FIG. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to the view of the drawings and particularly to 'FIG. 3, it will be evident, almost without explanation, Why the implement or device is classifiable as a double purpose or dual-type carrier. This is to say, as already touched upon, the one device makes it possible for the user to handle and carry two conventional-type beverage bottle cartons at the same time whether the cartons are for so-called small or large soft drink or beverage bottles. It can be assumed that the cartons illustrated are conventional at least at this time. One carton, the smaller one at the left is denoted by the numeral 6 and the other one at the right by the numeral 8. These cartons, containers or boxes are usually constructed from cardboard, commercial plastics or equivalent relatively stiff material. They are of the cellular-type wherein the cells provide individual pockets 10 for the insertable and removable bottles, one of which is denoted at 12. As already pointed out, the average person will purchase two or more cartons of full bottled soft drinks when going to the store and often will return empty bottles at the same time; so it is to be assumed that the invention here has to do with a single implement or device through the medium of which both cartons 6 and 8 may be simulaneously handled. It will be noticed that each carton has a partition or divider at the center denoted at 14 and the upper portion of this extends above the cells or pockets where it is provided with a hand hole or slot 16 defining a hand-grip 18. Whether this part of the structure is treated as a handle or a hand-grip is perhaps not too important. On the other hand, the fact that a slot 16 is present is signi- :ficant. In the arrangement depicted in FIG. 3 the adjacent or contiguous fiat vertical side walls 20 and 22 are in firm abutting relationship. This makes it possible to utilize the simple and expedient device herein provided. The device is characterized chiefly by a rigid tubular hand-grip 24 and the wire device which is used in conjunction therewith. This device is novel in that it is made or fashioned from a single length of bendable but suitably stiff and reliable wire. The median portion of the wire is constructed to define a horizontal shank 26. Actually the shank embodies a longitudinal or horizontal bent portion 28 residing alongside a similar bent portion, the latter bent portion embodying the abutting terminal ends 30 of the wire. The portions of the wire at the respective ends of the shank and beyond the ends of the grip serve to provide cartonengaging and suspending members, one member being denoted at 32 and the other one at 36. Each suspension member in end elevation, is inverted V-shape in form. The suspension members are identical in construction and the description of one will suflice for both. To this end, the suspension member 32 comprises a pair of downwardly diverging (or upwardly converging) limbs or legs 38. The lower end portions 40 are curved and bent outwardly and join with the oomplemental arms 42 of the relatively broad or elongated U-shaped portion 44 the bight of which is denoted at 46. These component portions 40, 42 and 46 define what is sometimes referred to as the bill portion of the hook. In other instances the term hook might be construed as describing the overall member 32 wherein the legs 38 constitute a V-shaped shank, the divergent ends joined with a broad bill porclo ed- In at. it is t en (t at t would be Wi in the pur iew at t v nt on mv le hand e me n ad y sneak n cha a ter ed s eci ic lly y a s an sas wi h or without the hand-grip 24 and with the shank haying dep ndi g 'tr ah ul te. 52 2 511 m mbe s 2. nd 6 at the ends, said members provided with hook means to en a e he slots 6;-

Inasmuch as the invention is believed to. be the utmost n i e tr rhm a tru tu al d fun iona Point of iew t-. -be e' .d that h made o u and. fe tu a dra tla e wi l be a than; th s d sclosure.

The foregoing is considered as. illustrative only of the princ ples of the invention. Further, since numerous. modifications and changes will readily occur to those ski le n. he r i i not desired o imit the invention o he e ct con t uct on a d ope ati Shown and defiibqd, a d a wor in a sui a le m difi ti ns nd equ valent man he resorted t fa li g within the scop 3 t e invention as s ahne Wha s, a n edw a ne a ollaws;

1 For use in carrying a pair of box-like bottle cartons having central upper handle portions, a carrying handle comprising a unitary piece of wire bent to form an elonated centra nortion haying tW i.d:bY'S $1' pa allel wire. members normally in a horizontal position, a leg at each end of each member extending downwardly therefrom, the legs at each end of the handle diverging in a downward direction, the lower end of each leg being deflected upwardly and away from said central'portion so as to form a hook, the upper free ends of each pair of adjacent hooks connected by a bight portion, a tubular handle member telescopically receiving and journalled on said central portion.

2, A de ce a efi ed i cl im. 1 wher in. ne f; sa pa a lel W e members QQIQPIiSfiS e e d o said. piece of re 8 i eads eing emp ete y QY$I y sa tubular hand e e by Pre en in a s 'end or con ac n nyone using said carrying handle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 63,086 Reebels Mar. 19, 1867 1,540,155 Wydom et al. June 2, 1925 1,887,358, Lucks-Osten Nov. 8; 193.2 2,128,244- Chapman Apr. 23., 19.40 2,612,401 Simmonds Sept. 30, 1952 2,665,838 Forrer V Jan. 12, 1.954 

1. FOR USE IN CARRYING A PAIR OF BOX-LIKE BOTTLE CARTONS HAVING CENTRAL UPPER HANDLE PORTIONS, A CARRYING HANDLE COMPRISING A UNITARY PIECE OF WIRE BENT TO FORM AN ELONGATED CENTRAL PORTION HAVING TWO SIDE-BY-SIDE PARALLEL WIRE MEMBERS NORMALLY IN A HORIZONTAL POSITION, A LEG AT EACH END OF EACH MEMBER EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY THEREFROM, THE LEGS AT EACH END OF THE HANDLE DIVERGING IN A DOWNWARD DIRECTION, THE LOWER END OF EACH LEG BEING DEFLECTED UPWARDLY AND AWAY FROM SAID CENTRAL PORTION SO AS TO FORM A HOOK, THE UPPER FREE ENDS OF EACH PAIR OF ADJACENT HOOKS CONNECTED BY A BIGHT PORTION, A TUBULAR HANDLE MEMBER TELESCOPICALLY RECEIVING AND JOURNALLED ON SAID CENTRAL PORTION. 